Course Description

Lectures, discussions and analysis and presentation of case studies in the areas of scientific ethics and communication with the media. Topics in scientific ethics include misconduct, fraud, plagiarism, authorship, intellectual property rights, and academic codes of ethics.

Meetings from 5:00 to 6:30 PM on 20-22 & 27-29 October 2008, in BSP 131.

Course Outline

20 October 2008: Introduction and Organization to Scientific Ethics ― Conduct in Science

Misconduct and fraud
Falsification of evidence; deletion of “outliers”
Plagiarism
Failures of Quality Assurance/Quality Control and methods of validation
Choosing inappropriate methods through ignorance or financial pressure

21 October 2008: Scientific Ethics ― Conduct in Science

Peer review; challenges for referees
Power and personal relationships
Authorship and credit: assigning and responsibility at the beginning
Accountability

22 October 2008: Scientific Ethics ― Conduct in Science

Pressure from funders to provide particular answers
Censorship, a growing problem?
Challenges of “advocacy science” – how to respond?
Resisting pressures and still be successful
Conflict of interest / Codes of Ethics at universities and professional societies

27 October 2008: What is Scientific Ethical Behavior?

Intellectual Property Rights?
Federal Policies
Respect for ideas in collaborative research
Attribution of ideas
“Copycat” research proposals
Relationship between a graduate student and a faculty advisor
Access to data

University of Zurich. 2001. Mission statement. Authorised by the Extended Executive Board of the University of Zurich on 16th January 2001. (Includes brief statement on ethical responsibility). Accessed 22 October 2008. [2]